Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Waiting and watching

We're taking a break from cancer. That's right. We're going to live like normal people -- well, as normal as Mike and I can be...We got a call from the doctor's office on Monday that Mike's scans were stable. Not worse, not better. I'll admit it was a real downer for our day. But after we went to see Dr. Neel today, we feel much better. He seems to think that it's time for Mike to rest. He's had 26 chemo treatments over the past year. Dr. Neel told us the cancer is not at a life-threatening point (what a relief it was to hear those words!!!) so we're going to monitor things for a while and see what happens. He thinks Mike's body needs some time to recover before starting a brand new regimen anyway. Mike will see the doctor every month and still have scans.Our first question of course was what if the cancer just starts running amok and we don't know about it. Dr. Neel says that 95 percent of cancers grow before they spread, so we would see the lump in Mike's neck get bigger. He also says that if it gets bigger in a couple weeks, Mike will go right back on the chemo he was on before. That would be a sign that the drugs were still working, even though the scans were stable.I'm rambling with a lot of medical stuff. Does any of this make sense? Bottom line: The cancer is still there, but it's not life threatening at the moment, so we're going to monitor the situation for a while. So, we're going on vacation!! Mike, Julia and I are going to Siesta Key for three heavenly days in June. It's often ranked as one of the top beaches by Dr. Beach. White sands, people! White sands. I can't wait!